Colour Me Mine, Crows Nest

My kids were introduced to the joys of ceramic painting when we lived overseas — it’s a low-​maintenance hit for birthday parties. So of course when we returned to Sydney, they were thrilled to find the same thing here (it’s a franchise operation). Book your party, BYO catering, set your budget for what each child can paint and off you go — sit back and relax. You can also book individual tables for smaller groups or the family.
Ceramic pieces range from ornamental (clowns, surfboards, Halloween pumpkins) to the practical — though I hesitate to use that word from a home that already has a very very large collection of painted ceramics …
One of the challenges is to get the kids to take sufficient care with their piece that it occupies them long enough to give you value for money — especially the littlies can be tempted to throw on a couple of colours and announce ‘finished!’ before you’ve even licked the froth of your latte.
Once the masterpieces are complete, the centre holds onto them for a week or so for firing. Generally the results are exciting — glaze that looks dull when it goes on comes up vibrant and rewarding. Just be careful how much dusting you want to take on when you book your third, fourth or fifth visit.

What a great place to entertain the kids with on the weekend or school holidays. This is the thought I wanted to share with every parent when I walked past the pact Colour Me Mine studio.
It’s a brilliant concept — select a ceramic item then paint it. Leave it with the Colour Me Mine peeps who will glaze and fire it then pick it up in a few days time to receive your beautiful new plate/​vase/​picture/​frame/​bowl/​jewelery box/​ornament/​teapot — there are so many pieces to choose from.
It’s not just the kids they cater for though. They also accommodate hen’s nights, corporate functions and birthday parties. I guess it’s a nice way to spend an afternoon nattering with the ladies rather than drinking copious amounts of coffee (or wine). On Thursday, Friday and Saturday they are open till 9pm.
It costs $ 16 plus the cost of the ceramic piece you choose. You can stay there all day with this one off payment. The plain ceramics start from $ 15.